It’s A Match for School of Medicine Class 2019
On Friday, March 15, four years of rigorous study and unrelenting work paid off in spades for the School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2019 during Match Day, when they opened their envelopes at noon and learned where they were matched to medical residency programs—and where they will begin their careers as physicians.
According to Jerry L. Nadler, M.D., MACP, FAHA, FACE, dean of the School of Medicine and professor of medicine and pharmacology, Match Day 2019 was a resounding success for New York Medical College (NYMC) students. “This is one of the most meaningful days for our students as they move toward becoming the outstanding physicians of tomorrow,” he said. “We are very proud of the quality and breadth of the residencies that our medical students have secured.”
This year, the top career choices for the NYMC School of Medicine Class of 2019 were internal medicine, radiology, pediatrics, anesthesia and general surgery—with students training in 23 states across the country at 92 different institutions ranging from the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington), the South (Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Florida), the Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Missouri) and the East Coast which includes our home state of New York where 40 percent of the SOM graduates will do their training.
Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the Class of 2019 gathered in the Wilner Lobby of the Medical Education Center— flanked by their entourage of family and friends— where Susan Rachlin, M.D., associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of clinical radiology addressed the students saying, “It has been my honor and privilege to travel this road with you. You have worked hard to accomplish your goals and today is the proof of the culmination of those accomplishments—regardless of what’s in that envelope.” She ended with this piece of advice, “Choose to become the best doctor you can be. Choose to always be compassionate, empathetic, humanistic. Choose to stick to your values and your ideals.”
Joining Dr. Rachlin at the podium, Jennifer Koestler, M.D., senior associate dean of medical education and associate professor of pediatrics and medicine, said, “First and foremost, be proud of yourselves. Wherever you are going—whether to a community hospital, a university hospital, a major academic institution or one of the top NIH ranked institutions—there is no doubt you will be the best and make New York Medical College very proud.”
At noon sharp, the lobby erupted in cheers as the students opened their envelopes to discover what their future’s would bring. Among the revelers, Musaub Khan opened his envelope to learn he’d matched in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center—Einstein Campus in New York. “It’s a match made in heaven,” she said, “My number one choice.”
A few feet away Nneamaka Ukata’s face lit up as she shared her news; she’d received a choice match in dermatology at the Medical University of South Carolina. With an effervescent smile, she said, “My mindset going into Match Day was this: as long as I am given an opportunity—wherever that may be—I will grow wherever I’m planted.”
